Paper-feeding machine



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T. C. DEXTER.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

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PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

.No. 584,073. Patented June 8,1897.

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, PAPER FEEDING MACHINE. No. 584,073. Patented June 8,1897.

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T. O. DEXTER. PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

No. 584,073. Patented June 8, 1897.

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T. C. DEXTER. PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

No. 584,073. Patented June 8,1897.

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T. O. DEXTER.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

No. 584,073. 7 V Patented June 8,1897.

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No. 584,073. Patented June 8,1897.

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T.-C.DEXTER. PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

No.. 584,073. I Patented June 8,1897.

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PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,073, dated June 8, 1897.

Application filed July 19, 1895. Serial No. 566,483. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, TALBOT O. DEXTER, of Pearl River, in the county of Rockland, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Delivery-Guards for Paper-Feeding Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is designed to be connected to paper-feeding machines for the purpose of preventing the accident of passing more than one sheet at a time from the pile of paper supplied to the feeding-machine, said accident being very objectionable and in some cases injurious to the machine receiving the paper from the feeding-m achine and designed to work:on one sheet at a tim esnch as paperfolding machines, ruling-machines, printing-- presses, and other machines with which thefeeding-machine communicates.

To attain the aforesaid object my invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with a paper-feeding machine, of a sheet-ret mdirectly under the path of 1e paper issuing from said machine, an electric circuit, an electromagnetcontrolling the action of said retarder, and a circuit maker and breakercontrolled by the number of sheets passing at a time over the sheet-retarder, all as hereinafter more fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of paper-feeding machines embodying my invention. Figs. 3 and 4c are plan views of the same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section on line X X in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on line Y Y in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an enlarged side view of the species of paperfeeding mechanism represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the paper carrying and retarding roller employed in connection with the rack-and-pinion mech anism represented in Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is an enlarged side view of a modification of the mechanism for reversing the motion of the paper carrying and retarding roller, and Fig. 11 is a transverse section on line/:2 in Fig. 10.

Similar letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the supporting-frame of a paper-feeding machine, which frame maybe of any suit-able shape, according to the character of said machine.

For exemplification of the adaptability of my present invention I have shown in the annexed drawings two types of well-known The paper-feeding devices (shown in Figs.

2 and 4 0f the drawings) consist of rubber faced rollers c, pivoted to the free ends of arms 0, hung loosely on a transverse shaft 13, and thus allowing said rollers to ride constantly on the pile of paper. To the shaft B are fastened pulleys cl, which are connected by driving-belts d to pulleys d, attached to the axis of the rollers c, as more clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, which also illustrate the mechanism for transmitting at predetermined intervals rotary motion to the pulleys c in a direction which causes the top sheet of the pile of paper to be pushed forward from the pile. Saidmechanism consists of a ratchet-wheel e, fastened to the shaft B, a pinion 13, mounted loosely on said shaft and having connected to it a pawl e, engaging the ratchet-wheel. A rack O engages the pinion B and receives reciprocating motion from a cam O.

In connection with the paper-feeding device shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings there is usually employed a stationary feed-table A, which is inclined to the discharge end of the feeding-machine and has endless beltsD traveling over it. The paper in this case is piled in a combed condition on the table A and is carried gradually toward the discharge end of the feeding-machine by the traveling belts D. However, the special construction of the feeding device is immaterial to my present invention, which is employed beyond the delivcry of the feeding-machine and placed between said machine and the machine designed to receive and operate on the paper one sheet at a time.

For exempliiication of my invention I have folding-machine; E, the endless tapes, which convey the paper to the first set of fold-rolls,

(not shown 3) and E" denotes the usual droproller,which intermittently drops and presses onto the aforesaid feed-roller to cause the same to obtain the requisite hold on the sheet fed between said rollers.

To guard against the accidental feeding ofmore than one sheet at a time to the foldingmachine, I place between said machine and the feeding-machine a sheet retarder arranged directly under the path of the paper issuing from the feeding-machine and having its retarding action controlled automatically by the number of sheets passing at atime over said retarder and permitting only single sheets to pass over it. Said retarder I prefer to form of a roller F, extending across the space between the feeding-machine and folding-machine and parallel to feed-roller E of the folding-machine and serving at the same time to carry the paper in transit. Said retarding and carrying roller F, I preferably provide with a rubber face or other suitable frictional surface to obtain an effective hold on the paper coming in contact therewith. The drop-roller G is arranged directly over the roller F and likewise faced with rubber for the same purpose. The roller G is geared with the roller E, as shown at- 1 2 3, so as to cause said rollers to rotate in unison and in the same direction, and thus propel toward the folding-machine the paper passing between said rollers. The lower roller F is geared so as to allow its motion to be reversed from a paper-propelling to a paper-retardin g action at the moment two or more sheets of paper are carried simultaneously to it, and this reversing of said roller I effect automatically by the following-described means, to wit:

Over the path of the paper from the feed ing-machine to the roller F, I employ a feeler f, preferably of the form of a light lever, fixed to a rod f which extends across the machine and is journaled in suitable supports on the sides of the feeding-machine. I preferably arrange this feeler so as to lie'with its free end upon the roller F, and thus cause said feeler to be actuated at once when more than one sheet is brought at the same time to said roller. Said excessive thickness of paper causes the free end of the feeler to be lifted from its normal position. In combination with this feeler I employ an electric circuit, the source or battery of which is designated by the reference-letter II in the annexed drawings, and a circuit maker and breaker, one

of the terminals of which is designated by reference-letter g. The other terminal consists of a finger g, which is attached to the supporting-rod f of the feeler f and is thus caused to move with said feeler and be brought in contact with the terminal 9 when the said feeler is lifted from its normal position in the manner aforesaid. The terminal g is connected in circuit by a wire extending from the rod f to one of the magnets I, which, with the companion magnet, is connected with the battery II. This automatic closing and opening of the electric circuit I utilize for contrlling the movement of the paper carrying and retarding roller F by means of reversible actuating mechanism adapted to rotate said roller in opposite directions and controlled by an electromagnet I in the aforesaid circuit. Said reversible actuating mechanisms may be constructed in various ways. In the mechanisms shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings I employ two magnets I I, which are carried on a vertically-elongated reciprocating yoke J and disposed in reversed positions relative to each other. The main portion of this yoke con sists of two parallel bars receiving between them one end of the shaft of the roller F, on which shaft are loosely mounted two pinions h h, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. At the side of each of said pinions is a ratchet-wheel h, fastened to the aforesaid shaft. The two ratchet-wheels have their teeth pitched in opposite directions and engaged by pawls h", connected to the pinions h 72,.

On the aforesaid bars of the yoke and par allel therewith are racks J J, sliding longitudinally in guides iand 2" and adapted to engage the two pinions 71 h, respectively. To each of the aforesaid bars of the yoke is pivoted the armaturej of one of the magnets, and each of said armaturesis provided or formed with a dog j, adapted to engage and release a shoulder or notch j in the adjacent rack. The racks receive a downward pressure from spiral springs k k, surrounding upper-end extensions of the racks and interposed between collars 70 on said extensions and upper guides 2". To the upper extensions are secured collars l, which by coming in contact with the tops of the guides i e" serve as stops for limiting the downward movement of the racks. The racks proper or toothed portions of the racks are of such lengths as to cause them to be entirely beneath and out of engagement with the pinions h when the racks are de pressed to their norm al position by the springs 75 7t, and inasmuch as the two racks operate independent of each other either of said racks can be moved upward and caused to turn its respective pinion 72 while the other rack remains dormant and out of engagement with its pinion. The springs 7s 7r serve to restore the racks to their normal positions to be forced up by the dogs j during the upward thrust of the yoke J.

The yoke J receives a reciprocating motion from a crank-wheel K, the wrist-pin of which is connected by a pitman K to the said yoke. In this case the motion of the roller F is derived solely from the aforesaid mechanism, the operation of which is as follows:

Assuming the feeding-machine is in proper operative condition to deliver from it only one sheet of paper at a time, this leaves the feeler f undisturbed from its normal position the dog of said armature to engage the notch of the adjacent rack. By these means the reciprocating yoke J is caused to impart to theroller F an intermittent rotary motion, turning with the top of its periphery toward the folding-machine and thus propelling the paper in transit toward said machine. If, however, two or more sheets are carried simultaneously under the feeler f, the latter is tilted sufficiently to throw the finger or terminal g. in contact with the terminal 9 and thus closes the electric circuit. The two magnets being thus energized cause the armature of the magnet on the left-hand portion of the yoke to throw its previously-engaged dog out of engagement with the adjacent rack and the armature of the magnet on the righthand portion of the yoke to throw its previously-released dog into engagement with the adjacent rack, which latter position is represented in Fig. l of the drawings, and this condition causes the roller F to reverse its previous motion and turn the top of said roller toward the feeding-machine during the upward movement of the yoke J. This reverse action of the roller F causes said roller to push back the lower sheet, while the upper roller G propels the overlying single sheet toward the folding-machine. As soon as this single sheet is delivered from under said propelling-roller the feeler f drops onto the retained single sheet and thereby breaks the electric circuit and restores the actuating mechanisms to their first-described condition, which causes the roller F to turn with its top portion toward the folding-machine and thus carry said sheet toward said machine. I pre fer, however, to employ only one magnet for the aforesaid purpose, as shown in Fig. 2, and this I accomplish in the following manner, to Wit:

On one end of the shaft of the roller F, I mount loosely a gear-wheel L, receiving rotary motion from the drivinggears of the feeding-machine. At the side of said wheel The collar L is connected to the shaft by spline and groove, which compels the shaft to rotate with the collar. The roller F thus receives rotary motion by the frictional contact of the collar L with the side of the rotating gearwheel L. To the opposite end of the shaft of the roller F, I fasten a pinion Z with which engages a vertically-movable rack Z, sliding with its lower portion in a guide Z.

The rack is provided with a longitudinal rib 0, the upper end of which is deflected so as to cause the rack to be drawn out of engagement with the pinion Z when the rack is in its lower position, by rollers 0 0, pivoted to the frame and bearing on opposite sides of the deflected portion of the rib. A rod M, parallel with the aforesaid rack and sliding vertically in guides m, secured to the frame A, has secured to it the electromagnet I, the armature n of which is pivoted to the rod M and is formed with the dog n,which is adapted to engage and release the rack Z. M receives reciprocating motion from an oscillatory lever M, actuated by a rotary cam N.

The operation of the roller F in this case is controlled as follows: In case a single sheet passes over the roller F the feeler f .is undisturbed and the circuit broken, as hereinbefore described. Hence the dog a of the armature of the magnet I is prevented from engaging the rack Z. receives rotary motion from the gear-wheel L in a direction which causes said roller to propel the overlying paper toward the foldingmachine. During this movement the rack Z is pushed down by the pinion P, and when said rack reaches its lowest position the rollers 0 o throw the rack out of engagement and thus allow the roller F to be freely rotated by the gear-wheel L. In case two or more sheets pass simultaneously under the feelerf the circuit is closed and the dog a is thrown into a position to engage the rack, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Then in the upward movement of the rod M the rack is forced up with said rod, and in this movement the rollers 0 o throw the rack into engagement with the pinion Z and thereby reverse the motion of the roller F and cause the same to retard or repel the overlying sheet, while the upper roller G propels the single sheet toward the folding-machine. In this latter action of the roller F the positive connection of the pinion Z with the shaft of said roller overcomes the frictional energy of the collar L on the side of the loosely-mounted driving-gear L. A more positive reversing action, however, may be obtained by the mechanism shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings, in which 0 denotes a rotary shaft disposed at right angles to the shaft of the roller F and provided with two looselymounted bevel-pinions O O,engaginga bevelgear 0, fixed to the shaft of the roller F. Between the bevel-pinions is a duplex clutch P, sliding on the shaft 0 and caused to rotate by splineand-groove connection. Said. clutch has sufficient play between the hubs of the The rod In the meantime the said roller IIO two pinions to allow the clutch to engage and release clutch-faces on said hubs alternately and reverse the motion of the gear 0, which motion is transmitted to the roller F. For automatically shifting the clutch a reciprocating pitman P is arranged transversely to the free end of a lever P, pivoted to a suitable support on the frame of one of the machines and terminating with a fork which straddles the neck of the clutch P. The pitman may be actuated either by a rotary crank or by an eccentric R, as shown.

At opposite sides of the free end of the clutch-shiftin g lever P are the magnets I I", whosearmatures p are pivoted to the pitman and are formed with dogs 19, which by the motion of the armatures are caused to en gage and release the lever P". The magnets and their armatures are placed in such positions in relation to the lever that when the circuit is broken the dog 19 of one armature is caused to release the lever and at the same time cause the dog of the other armature to be thrown into a position to engage the lever, and thereby shift the clutch P into engagement with the pinion 0, which causes the roller F to revolve with its upper portion toward the folding-machine, and when the circuit is closed the aforesaid action is reversed, as is clearly seen by an inspection of Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings. The circuit maker and breaker g and g in thiscase is actuated in the same manner as in the other cases hereinbefore describedi. e., the feeler f when in its normal position breaks the circuit, and when disturbed by two or more sheets of paper passing simultaneously under it the circuit is closed. The two set-screws between which the free end of the finger g plays are insulated from their supportingbracket to prevent the current from entering said bracket.

To prevent the electric current from entering the feeler f, I prefer to form said feeler separate from the finger g and attach it to-a spur r, projecting from the pivoted end of the said finger, as clearly shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings. Suitable non-conducting material is interposed in the joint of said parts, as shown at r.

I do not limit myself to the specific form of the feeler shown in the annexed drawings, as it is obvious that the same is susceptible of many modifications. The same may be said in regard to the form of the circuit maker and breaker.

lVhat I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with a paper-feeding machine, of a sheet-retarder under the path of the paper issuing from said machine, an electric circuit, an electromagnet controlling the action of said retarder,and a circuit maker and breaker controlled by the number of sheets passing at a time over the sheet-1etarder as set forth.

2. The combination, with a paper-feeding machine designed to feed the sheets'singly from a pile, of an automatic feed-controller consisting of an electric circuit, a maker and breaker of said circuit, a feeler in the path of the paper delivered from the feeding-machine and actuated by the passage of a plurality of sheets simultaneously and operating the circuit maker and breaker, a sheet-retarder under the aforesaid passage of the paper, mechanism actuating said retarder, and an electromagnet controlling said mechanism as set forth.

3. The combination, with a paper-feeding machine, of a paper-carrying roller directly under the path of the paper delivered from said machine, a sheet-propelling roller directly over the said path and rotating independently of the aforesaid carrying-roller, mechanism transmitting mot-ion to said carrying-roller and reversible torotate the roller in either direction, an electric circuit, a feeler over the path of the paper to the aforesaid rollers and actuated by the passage of a plurality of sheets simultaneously under said feeler, a circuit maker and breaker actuated by said feeler, and an electromagnet controlling the aforesaid reversible mechanism as set forth.

4. The combination, with a paper-feeding machine, of a paper-carrying roller directly under the path of the paper delivered from said machine, a sheet-propeller over said path, an electric circuit, a circuit maker and breaker, a feeler directly over the aforesaid path of the paper and lifted by the passage of a plurality of sheets under said-feeler, a finger actuated by said feeler and constituting one of the terminals of the circuit maker and breaker, mechanism imparting motion to the aforesaid papercarrying roller and reversible to rotate said roller in opposite directions and an electromagnet controlling said reversible mechanism as set forth.

5. In combination with apaper-feeding machine, a paper-carrying roller directly under the path of the paper issuing from said machine, a drop-roller over said carrying-roller and geared to receive continuous rotary motion and propel the paper, interchangeablyoperating mechanisms revolving the carrying-roller respectively in opposite directions, an electric circuit, a feeler directly over the path of paper to the carrying-roller, a circuit maker and breaker actuated by said feeler, and electromagnets controlling the interchangeable action of the aforesaid mechan isms, as set forth.

6. In combination with a paper-feeding machine, a paper-carrying roller directly under the path of the paper issuing from said machine, a sheet-propelling roller directly over said carrying-roller, an electric circuit, a feeler in the path of the paper to the carr in g-roller and actuated by a plurality of sheets assin simultaneousl under said feeler a circuit maker and breaker actuated by said feeler, mechanism imparting motion to the carrying-roller to rotate in unison with the connection between said movable collar and shaft, a spring interposed between the two collars and pressing the loose collar into contact With the gear-Wheel, a rack engaging the aforesaid pinion, a feeler over said carryingroller and actuated by the passage of a plurality of sheets simultaneously under said feeler, an electric circuit, a circuit maker and breaker actuated by said feeler, a reciproeating pitman, an electromagnet carried on said pitman and a pawl actuated by said mag net to engage the aforesaid rack and thereby reverse the motion of the aforesaid papercarrying Wheel as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 24th day of June, 1895.

TALBOT O. DEXTER. [L.

\Vitnesses:

T. L. MONTAGUE, V. E. MARSH. 

